STUDIO CITY—A 20-year-old UCLA student was identified by the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office as the victim of a fatal crash that occurred on Thursday, March 24. The victim was confirmed to be Sera Aintablian from Pasadena. 

According to California Highway Patrol, at around 2 a.m., Aintablian was on her way home from her boyfriend’s place and was traveling southbound on the 101 freeway near Studio City. Aintablian reportedly started to merge onto the eastbound 134 when she realized she needed to stay on the 101. She tried switching lanes, but lost control of her car and slammed into a center divider near the Tujunga Avenue off-ramp. Upon impact, her vehicle split in half. 

A driver of a red SUV did not see the wreckage and slammed right into it. The condition of the driver and passenger of the second vehicle is unknown, Fox 11 reported. 

Paramedics arrived and pronounced Aintablian dead at the scene.

According to Fox 11, Aintablian’s boyfriend and his parents arrived at the scene shortly after, to find pieces of her car scattered across the freeway. They informed the CHP that they grew concerned when they didn’t hear from her after her normal 20-minute drive home went looking for her. 

Aintablian was reported to be valedictorian of her high school graduating class and was on spring break from studying microbiology at UCLA. She was planning to attend medical school, the Pasadena Now reported.